Obama condemns "unspeakable assault" on people of Homs

US President Barack Obama strongly condemned Saturday what he called "the Syrian government's unspeakable assault against the people of Homs", DPA reported

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "must halt his campaign of killing and crimes against his own people now," Obama said in a statement. "He must step aside and allow a democratic transition to proceed immediately."

Obama said that, 30 years after "his father massacred tens of thousands of innocent Syrian men, women, and children in Hama, Bashar al-Assad has demonstrated a similar disdain for human life and dignity."

"Every government has the responsibility to protect its citizens, and any government that brutalizes and massacres its people does not deserve to govern," Obama said. Al-Assad "has no right to lead Syria, and has lost all legitimacy with his people and the international community."

His message to Syrians was: "The suffering citizens of Syria must know: We are with you, and the (al-)Assad regime must come to an end."